BEIJING – A Chinese man has hacked a Chinese woman to death and injured her French companion in one of Beijing’s busiest shopping districts in broad daylight Thursday, police said.

The man attacked two pedestrians, the Chinese woman and a French man, using a samurai sword, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

The attack sent shock waves in the city as the photos of the bleeding woman lying on the footpath with grieving Frenchman went viral.

The attack occurred right outside a Uniqlo store in the vibrant Sanlitun area also known for its many bars. The neighborhood is popular with foreigners and young people.

Police detained the suspect but offered no motive, and their online statement identified him only as a 25-year-old Chinese man whose family name is Gao.

Police say both victims were rushed to a hospital, where the woman later died.

The capital’s flagship Uniqlo store drew recent attention from a sex video apparently filmed inside one of its dressing rooms. The Cyberspace Administration of China chastised two of the country’s main Internet companies for allowing the video to go viral, and Beijing police detained four people on suspicion of spreading obscene content.